Nozzle adjustment for suction cleaners



April 1956 M. H. RIPPLE NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 8, 1952 a Q on em 3 m N W m .n t U L M B n a on kw ow mm K on w mm v. Qv Nv 9n nw April 10, 1956 H. RIPPLE NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1952 mu 9 v Pa. em.

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United States Patent NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Melvin H. Ripple, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Gino Application October 8,1952, Serial No. 313,629

3 Claims. (Cl. 280-44) The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to adjusting the nozzle with respect to the surface being cleaned.

An object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner having an improved and simplified mechanism for adjusting the nozzle relative to the surface to be cleaned. Another object is to provide a mechanism which is disconnected from the cleaner supporting means while being arranged to shift the nozzle to a different position. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view, partly broken away, of the adjusting device supporting the nozzle in operating position.

Figure 2 shows the arrangement of the device to efiect adjustment of the nozzle to a new position, and

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure l.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a cleaner body 10. including a nozzle 11 connected by a suction air passageway 12 to a fan chamber 13 provided with a fan 14 mounted on the armature shaft 15 of an unshown motor to create suction in the nozzle 11 and discharge dirt laden air into a dirt filtering bag 16 attached to a housing 17. The nozzle 11 is provided with a perimeter lip 18 for operative engagement with a floor covering 19, and rotatably mounted in the nozzle is an agitator 2i) driven by a belt 21 connected to a pulley 22 on the armature shaft 15. The cleaner body is supported on a pair of front and rear wheels 25 and 26 respectively, the latter being mounted on a shaft 27 attached to the underside of the housing 17. The front wheels 25 are mounted on off-set ends 28 of a crank shaft 29 rotatably supported on the rear wall 39 of the nozzle by a pair of brackets 31. A torsion spring 32 about the shaft 29 rotates the latter counter-clockwise as viewed in Figure 1 to urge the front wheels 25 toward the cleaner body. A handle 33 is pivotally mounted at 34 to the housing 17 to propel the cleaner over the surface being cleaned.

A cam or star wheel 35 for adjusting the nozzle 11 is formed on a member 36 rotatably mounted on a pin 37 supported in a bracket 38 which is attached to the body 10 by a rivet 39 and a lug 40 extending through an opening 41 in the bracket 38. The cam 35 is provided with six peripheral recesses 42 to 47 formed between six teeth 48 to 53. The extreme ends 54 of the teeth extend the same distance from the pivot pin 37, and the root of each recess varies from the pivot pin 37 for engagement with one end 56 of the crank shaft 29 to adjust the nozzle 11 with respect to the surface to be cleaned. A spring washer 57 between the member 36 and bracket 38 frictionally retains the cam 35 in any of its adjusted positions.

Formed integrally with the cam 35 on the member 36 is an annular disc 60 the periphery of which is provided with indicia 61 representing different adjustments of the 2,741,488 Patented Apr. 10, 1956 nozzle with respect to the surface 19. An opening 62 is .provided in the body 10 to observe the indicia 61 and determine if the nozzle is in proper adjustment.

A lever 65 for operating the cam 35 is pivoted at one end 66 on a pin 67 supported in a bracket 68 projecting from the rear wall 30 of the nozzle 11, and the lever extends upwardly and over the end 56 of the shaft 29 through an elongated opening 69 in the body and terminates in a pedal 70. A portion'71 of the lever 65 at all times rests on the shaft end 56, and movement of 'the lever in opposite directions is limited by abutting the end walls 72 and 73 of the opening 69.

Formed integrally with the lever 65 is a pawl provided with an offset end 76 for engagement with the teeth of the cam 35 to rotate the latter step-by-step upon each downward movement of the lever 65 by depressing the foot pedal 76.

When the cleaner is in operation the shaft end 56 seats in any one of the cam recesses 42 to 47, for example recess 45 as shown in Figure l, and the surface 71 of the lever 65 rests on the shaft end 56 to maintain the lever in its normal position.

If it is desired to alter the height tof the nozzle relative to the surface 19 for different thicknesses of floor covering, the operator depresses the foot pedal '78 moving the lever 65 about its pivot pin 67 and causing the edge 71 of the lever to fulcrum about the crank shaft 56 to raise the cam 35 out of engagement with the shaft end 56 to a free position with the points 54 of the teeth spaced above the shaft. Depressing the lever 65 also rotates the pawl 75 clockwise causing the ofiset end 76 to engage the tooth 53 and rotate the cam 35 to the position shown in Figure 2 and thus arrange the recess 44 for engagement with-the shaft end 56; The operators foot is then removed from the pedal 74 and the torsion spring 32 and cleaner weight rotate the crank shaft 29 to move the shaft end 56 into engagement with the tooth 50 of the recess 44 to position the latter for reception of the shaft end 56 and thus adjust the nozzle to a different position. During return movement of the lever 65 to its normal position the ofiset end 76 of the pawl 75 also moves clear of the end of the tooth 52. The adjustment of the nozzle 11 by the cam recess 44 receiving the shaft end 56 is noted on the indicia 61 through the port 62.

If a different nozzle adjustment is desired the operator depresses the foot pedal 70 to raise the cam 35 to its free position, and the pawl 76 engages the next tooth 52 to preset the recess 43 to receive the shaft end 56 and arrange the nozzle in another position. The operator continues to reciprocate the lever 65 until the desired nozzle adjustment is attained.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is to be taken as illustrativeonly and not in a limiting sense. 1 do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner having a body, means movably mounted on said body to support the latter on a surface, cam means on said body normally engaging said support means and movable to adjust said body with respect to said support means, lever means engaging said support means and pivotally mounted on said body for movement from a normal position to fulcrum about said support means and release said cam means from said support means, and means actuated by said lever means after said cam means is released to move the latter to a new position for engagement with said support means upon return of said lever means to its said said means actuated by said lever means being integral with said leverxrneans- 3. Ina-suction cleaner having a hardy, wheels sup porting said body on-a surface; a crank shaft for: said wheels androtatably mounted on said body to displace said Wheels relative thereto, cam means on said body normally engaging said crank shaft to position. said Wheels relative to said body' and movable to adjust said body relative to said wheels, lever means engaging said crank shaft and pivotally mounted on said body for movement from a normal position, to fulcrum about said" crank shaft to move said cam means to a free position away from said crank shaft, and means actuated by said;

lever means after saidcam means is in its said free position to move the latter to a new position for engagement with said crank upon return 013 said lever means to its said normal position to thereby adjust the height of said body relative to the surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,448,397 Friend a Mar. 13,1923 1,850,710 Fairfax Mar: 22, 1932 2,067,990 Taylor Ian; 19, 1937 2,079,293 Kirby May 4, 1937 2,099,172 McCabe et al Nov. 16, 1937 2,515,671 Snyder -4 July 18-, 1950 FOREIGN' PATENTS 7 532,691 Great Britain 'Jan. 29, 1941 

